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In response, police chiefs from the force have sent 200 officers with a history of complaints from specialist operations divisions like the drugs and riot squads and call handlers to an 'incivility focus group'.

The seminar held in June was attended by inspectors and superintendents from the divisions with the worst record as well as student officers and newly promoted sergeants and inspectors who received training in how to police politely.

The force now plans to introduce incivility seminars for all managers.

Customer care workshops have been introduced in the specialist operations branch and training for call handlers has been extended by a week to focus on politeness.

Detective Superintendent Mike Freeman, head of investigations for the force's professional standards department, told Police Review: 'For as long as I can remember the biggest single cause of complaints against officers are about incivility.

'It is not about officers shouting and swearing at the public, it is more than that.

'It is about deportment; how that officer stands at a person's door, for example.'

He added: 'It is my view that most of this type of behaviour by officers is unnecessary and undermines the good work they do.

'We recognise that one or two of our best performing officers need to mind their Ps and Qs and this is why we are running this initiative.'

But some disgruntled officers have objected to the lessons.

One said: 'We're being told that we have to be courteous to some scumbag who we've nicked a hundred times and that we have to stand a certain way when we turn up at their door and not swear at them.

'I can see how call centre staff should be polite, but when it comes down to it we've got a job to do.

'We're not Mary Poppins for God's sake.'

A spokeswoman for the force said: 'The force has identified through analysis the problem areas in GMP.

'Senior leadership across the force were made aware of the problem. Officers with a history of complaints of this nature were identified.

'As a result strategies have been put in place to make all staff aware of the negative impact that poor or inappropriate communication can have on our public and equally how this affects the confidence agenda.

'An incivility focus group was set up by force command to identify initiatives and best practice to combat poor standards.'

Earlier this year, Leicestershire Police sent hundreds of police to charm school to teach them how to smile and not be a 'killjoy'.

Frontline officers were instructed to be more friendly and to tell drunken revellers on a night out to have a good time as part of a positive language course.